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Our spy photographers have captured images of the facelifted Mercedes-Benz A-Class several months ahead of its global debut.
These images show that the update for the A-Class hatchback will be a relatively minor affair, at least visually...

Kia Australia says it can’t make the business case work for the new-generation Optima hybrid when the model arrives later this year.
On the eve of the official unveiling of the 2016 Kia Optima, the decision has been made to bring the naturally aspirated 2.4-litre as well as the 2.0-litre turbo, but the hybrid model remains off the cards for the foreseeable future...

The Tokyo-based car company has revealed its latest Rallycross weapon, the Subaru WRX STI VT15x.
Under the vented and liveried bonnet resides a version of Subaru's 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder boxer engine. For the VT15x it has been tuned to deliver around 432kW (580hp).
Power is sent to all four wheels via a six-speed Sadev sequential transmission...

Breaking: While Ford is still to confirm an arrival date for the new Mondeo Hybrid to the Australian market, footage has emerged of Ford testing even more advanced drive options at the You Yangs Proving Ground near Melbourne.
Discovered in a shared folder of media images for the upcoming Mondeo launch was a short video depicting the medium sedan undergoing tests with an experimental propulsion system...

Mercedes-Benz plans to fill yet another market niche and expand its family of front-drive compact cars to six models by launching an all-new BLA Shooting Brake, we can today reveal.
In a CarAdvice exclusive, a company executive has this week confirmed top-secret plans for the Stuttgart marque to expand its line-up with what it calls a “part family MPV, part sexy sports car”...

The idea of spending a large sum of money on something that you’ve never personally seen or tried is not new. After all, plenty of people bid on houses via the phone.
But for someone whose line of work is to test drive and review cars, then give advice to others on what car to buy, the notion of buying a car sight unseen and un-driven is daunting...

It seems likely that, as it nears the end of its life, the current-generation Bentley Continental will gain a high performance rear-wheel drive variant.
According to Autocar, this sportier version of the Continental will debut in 2016. Under the bonnet it will use a variation of the 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 seen elsewhere in the range, but with the wick turned up even further...

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McLaren says that under no circumstances will it ever build a high performance SUV regardless of its volume potential.
Speaking to CarAdvice at the unveiling of the new McLaren 570S in New York today, the British brand’s global executive director of sales and marketing, Joylon Nash, said he can “categorically” rule out SUVs in the McLaren lineup...

The 2015 Mazda MX-5 will undercut the starting price of both the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 in the US, it has been announced.
This week, Mazda’s US arm announced an opening gambit on the fourth-generation MX-5 of US$24,915, about $1000 more than the predecessor model.
This figure, nevertheless, still undercuts the Scion FR-S at $25,470 — the FR-S is what the Toyota 86 is called in the US — and the $25,695 Subaru BRZ...

McLaren says the just unveiled 'entry' 570S sports car will not damage perceptions of its brand, as it seeks to increase volume and make its wares more attainable.
Speaking to the Australian media at the unveiling of the McLaren 570S in New York today, McLaren’s global executive director of sales and marketing Joylon Nash said that despite the sports car’s cheaper starting point, the 570S remained a McLaren at heart...

McLaren has just premiered the first member of its new Sports Series range, the 570S Coupe, in New York.
This new entry point to the British brand’s arsenal is a price-point rival to the Porsche 911 Turbo and forthcoming all-new Audi R8, and slots in beneath the Ferrari-matching 650S...

The new-generation Kia Carnival’s much-publicised four-star ANCAP safety result appears to be down to more than just the lack of a rear seatbelt reminder, as was first thought.
ANCAP data released today also showed a less-than-desirable performance in the frontal offset crash test — something that Kia Australia’s internal data suggested would not be the case...

The Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake will command a $1500 premium over its sedan sibling when deliveries commence in June.
Mercedes-Benz has confirmed the sleek wagon range will come with the same four variants as the sedan, kicking off with the 115kW/250Nm, 1.6-litre CLA200 at $52,400 plus on-road costs.
And extra $500 gets you the 100kW/300Nm 2...

The two-seat Honda S660 kei car has been officially launched in Japan.
As was proven last week when production vehicles were photographed at a Japanese shipyard, the final version of the car doesn't look dramatically different to the 2013 concept.
Behind the passenger cell is a 660cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine with around 47kW of power and 104Nm of torque...

Tesla will unveil a new product, which isn't a automobile, on May 1. Many have speculated that it could be a battery pack that could power a home.
Overnight on Twitter, Musk announced: "Major new Tesla product line — not a car — will be unveiled at our Hawthorne Design Studio on Thurs 8pm, April 30". That's 1pm on Friday, May 1, Australian Eastern Standard Time...

One of the most famous names in the automotive world is about to make a comeback.
The Lincoln Continental, an icon of US car culture for decades, will return to roads in 2016 as a full-size sedan that signals a “future of quiet luxury” for the brand — a brand that has struggled against German luxury brands in recent times but is in the midst of a multi billion-dollar overhaul...

The updated and restyled 2015 Citroen DS3 will come with a range of updated safety technology including low-speed autonomous brakes when it launches in the middle of April.
The 120kW French premium warm hatch and cabriolet range, an oft-overlooked player in the market, will become the first car from the PSA (Peugeot/Citroen) Group to offer Active City Brake technology...

The Range Rover SVAutobiography, the most sumptuous and possibly expensive version to date, was revealed today ahead of its public reveal at the New York motor show on April 1.
The SVAutobiography — that’s not a typo — sits at the pinnacle of a revised Range Rover line-up for the 2016 model year, and is designed to take “comfort, craftsmanship and refinement” to another level...

Google and Apple’s much-publicised interest in entering the automotive space is both validating and a “wake up call” for the existing industry, says Ford’s vice-president of research and advanced engineering Ken Washington.
Washington made a flying visit to Australia last week for discussions at the Blue Oval’s Melbourne research, design and engineering centre — a site that serves as the blue oval brand’s R&D hub in the entire Asia Pacific region...

Forget climbing into a clapped-out cab next time you visit Singapore - Uber has just added a number of supercars to its fleet in the south-east Asian city state.
The company - which has been embroiled in controversy after several high profile cases of driver misconduct - has teamed up with partner supercar rental company Dream Drive...

While German carmaker Porsche admits to being seriously interested in electric cars, it also believes that current battery technology is not yet advanced enough for the high-performance brand to develop production series EVs (Electric Vehicles).
Thomas Becki, director product and technical press for Porsche, spoke to CarAdvice about the issue at the recent launch of the 911 Targa 4 GTS in Spain...

Rumours surrounding the Porsche Pajun, the German sports car specialist's proposed rival to the BMW 5 Series, have largely been quashed, as sales surge and the company struggles to meet demand across its entire range of high-performance cars and SUVs.
As the profitability jewel in Volkswagen Group’s 12-brand portfolio, Porsche has showed the greatest year-on-year performance in relative terms, with sales up from 155,000 to 187,000 in 2014...

During a recent demonstration of the Bentley Studio at the Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix, Bentley admitted that its clientele and demographic is changing, requiring a rethink of technology within the cabin.
When you think Bentley, you don't necessarily think young, hip and trend-setting, but the Bentley demographic is changing...

Bentley has confirmed that it plans to launch a 10-unit limited edition Mulsanne Speed for the Asian market before the end of the year.
Teaming with bespoke design partner Mulliner, Bentley set out to create a limited edition vehicle that mimics the intimate sensation of sharing one's jacket lining...

This week’s international launch of the Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS at the Ascari race circuit in Spain takes the number of 911 model variants on offer to an astounding 21.
The newest 911 also marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic Porsche 911 Targa and the first time a GTS version of the design classic has been built...

Aston Martin has begun legal proceedings against Henrik Fisker regarding his Thunderbolt concept car.
The company announced, via a statement sent out to media outlets, that it had "filed a lawsuit [against Henrik Fisker] in the state of California to protect its valuable trade marks, designs and intellectual property rights"...

This week, German manufacturer BMW celebrated a production milestone – three million vehicles produced... in the USA.
The BMW Assembly Plant in Spartanburg South Carolina was opened in 1994 and now produces approximately 300,000 vehicles a year.
In 2014, over 250,000 of these were destined for other markets, and with a value of almost $12-billion (US$9...

When you buy into a brand, it’s nice to get that warm and fuzzy feeling when your brand remembers you after your purchase. Isuzu has followed this philosophy with the launch of the I-Venture Club.
The I-Venture Club is an Isuzu Ute Australia initiative designed to give owners an opportunity to put their vehicles through their paces in an off-road environment with professional tutelage...

The first-ever Toyota RAV4 Hybrid will make its debut at the New York auto show, which starts next week.
Aside from the teaser image above and the fact it's coming to New York show, RAV4 Hybrid will feature a unique set of tail-lights with greyed out indicators and light-tube-style elements, but there are, so far, no details about its drivetrain...

Chinese corporation Geely will pump £250 million ($A475m) into a new development and assembly facility in England as it gears up for the next-generation London Black Cab due in 2017.
The investment will cover a new purpose-built facility in the Ansty area of Coventry, close to the London Taxi Company’s existing factory...

Mercedes-Benz has dropped a bombshell today by announcing plans to launch a mid-sized pick-up well before the end of the decade.
This translates to their being a Mercedes-Benz-badged one-tonne capacity rival for the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, plus the Volkswagen Amarok, in Australian showrooms from about early 2018 — probably in single-, king- and dual-cab guises...

Mercedes-Benz Australia has confirmed plans to add three plug-in hybrid models to its showroom in 2015.
The German luxury car brand will offer plug-in hybrid versions of the C-Class, GLE-Class and flagship S-Class, all of which are expected to launch at the same time, and ahead of schedule, around November this year...

BMW Australia has introduced two new options packages for the 2015 BMW 5 Series range.
Available from March production, the new Professional and Exclusive packages bundle together a host of comfort and driver assist systems to enhance the BMW 5 Series sedan, Touring and Gran Turismo models...

The 2016 Mitsubishi Challenger SUV has been caught on the road undergoing testing ahead of its potential debut later this year.
The new-generation Challenger remains based upon the Triton ute, and like the new version of that pick-up, the SUV spin-off appears to have grown in length while also taking on a different design...

Toyota has unveiled a new modular global vehicle architecture that will underpin approximately half of all the vehicles it sells by 2020.
Toyota says the new structure, dubbed Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), will be versatile enough to form the basis for compact and large vehicles and all sizes in between, along with supporting both front- and rear-wheel-drive layouts...

Our spy photographers have snapped photos of the next-generation Opel Astra on public roads in Europe, giving us our clearest look yet at the next-generation hatchback.
Compared to earlier prototypes, the latest pre-production versions of the Astra are clothed with production body work, bumpers and lighting...

Holden has dusted off the legendary Sandman badge in a bid to evoke some nostalgia 40 years after the nameplate premiered.
The company, alas, has not brought back the famed panel van. But what it has done is deck out the SV6 and SS-V VF Commodore Sportwagon and Ute with some groovy ‘70s-style accoutrements...

A report claims that Mahindra & Mahindra is currently in confidential talks with Pininfarina, which could lead to the Italian design and engineering firm becoming part of the Indian conglomerate.
Unnamed sources have told Bloomberg that the two companies have been in discussions about a possible takeover for several weeks...

An aggressive looking Mercedes-AMG GT prototype has been spotted testing at the Nurburgring, hinting at a possible Black Series edition of the sports coupe.
This supports comments made by Mercedes-Benz at the Detroit Motor show in January this year, that the new AMG-GT range will spawn multiple models...

The boss of Skoda Australia is confident a specification upgrade due in the third quarter of this year will give the compact Skoda Rapid a boost in local showrooms.
Skoda Australia director Michael Irmer confirmed the update would bring a touchscreen infotainment unit and satellite navigation – features that the current Rapid Spaceback has sorely missed...

The 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class replaces the current-generation M-Class, but there's more to the new model than a name change and a facelift.
The new-look Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class - which will be revealed at next week's 2015 New York motor show - sees plenty of changes compared with its M-Class predecessor, including a heavily revised front-end with reshaped lights, bumper and grille, while the rear also sees new LED lights and a restyled bumper with reshaped exhausts...

Unveiled to the world at this week's Bangkok motor show in Thailand, the 2015 Ford Ranger brings an unprecedented level of equipment to the pick-up category.
With technology that, until recently, was only available in premium brand vehicles, the new Ranger's specification boost is driven largely by demand for the higher trim level vehicles in all markets...

The 2016 Kia Optima has shown its face for the first time just days out from its official unveiling at next week’s 2015 New York auto show.
The new-generation Optima represents a design evolution, building on the styling of the current model that kicked off Kia’s uprising in 2010...

The Skoda Octavia RS 230 will take the Czech brand to new heights in Australia when it reaches our shores next year.
Skoda Australia director Michael Irmer this week confirmed the fastest ever Octavia, the flagship RS 230 that debuted at the Geneva motor show earlier this month, is locked in for our market for 2016...

The next-generation Chevrolet Malibu range will include a conventional hybrid version using bits of technology from the new Volt plug-in.
As we know, Chevrolet’s all-new mid-sized staple premieres in regular petrol form in New York next week. The petrol-electric version will be the US market’s efficiency leader.
Under the bonnet is a new direct-injection 1...

The 2016 Citroen C4 is scheduled for an Australian launch in the third quarter of this year, sporting a revised look as well as a new transmission and engine choices.
The update to the Citroen C4 includes the introduction of the Peugeot-Citroen group’s 1.2-litre petrol turbo that delivers 96kW of power and 230Nm of torque...

Production of the Skoda Octavia RS has been doubled to meet unexpectedly high demand for the performance model and to help ease local lead times that have blown out to nine months.
Skoda Australia director Michael Irmer confirmed Octavia RS production at the car’s Mlada Boleslav plant in the Czech Republic has been boosted from 350 to 700 vehicles per week to attempt to satisfy global hunger for the sporty mid-sized sedan and wagon models...

An all-new Fiat pick-up has been spotted for the first time ever by CarAdvice's spy photographers in northern Europe.
The new Fiat ute may appear more like an SUV than a pick-up truck to rival the likes of the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, but the bulky camouflage at the rear of the vehicle is simply a ruse...

The Europe-only Ford S-Max people mover will be offered with a new system dubbed Intelligent Speed Limiter.
In the S-Max, the Intelligent Speed Limiter effectively marries together two existing technologies: the driver adjustable speed limiter and road sign recognition...

The BBC has just announced that it has let go of Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson after a "fracas" with a producer earlier this month.
Director general of the BBC, Tony Hall, announced the news overnight and published the full findings of the corporation's internal investigation into the incident...